ITALY : WORLD CUP HISTORY

Italy was the first country to win back-to-back titles and the second to capture the championship three times, after Brazil accomplished the feat. After Brazil and perhaps Germany, no other country has experienced a more glorious World cup history.

Fans will remember Italy's amazing run to the 1982 title -- the Italians were 14-1 long shots before the competition began -- behind the scoring feats of Paolo Ross. After a disappointing performance in Mexico in 1986, the Italians, behind an unlikely hero in Salvatore Schillaci, rebounded with a third-place finish at home four years later.

In 1994, Italy, despite injuries and several suspensions, scrapped together a second-place finish, losing to Brazil in the penalty-kick shootout. For many countries, that would have been sufficient. But we're talking about Italy, where nothing less than a championship is accepted. In France four years later, there was even more disappointment as the Italians were eliminated in the quarterfinals by eventual-champion France.

In 2002, Italy crashed out of the tournament in controversial style in the second round due to refereeing blunders in a 2-1 extra-time loss to co-host Korea. The Italians, incidentally, finished 1-2-1, their second worst Cup record ever, behind only the 1-2 records each from the 1954 and 1966 tournaments.